Search for a gift
by EmilykaFairy
Summary: Father's Day approaches, and Marinette doesn't know what to get for her father ; somehow, she gets Cat Noir to help and offers to find a gift for his father as well. However, she doesn't know anything about Cat Noir's father...


**A/N : Hello ! There are no real spoilers here, but th** **is takes place some time after _Glaciator._**

* * *

The sun was shining through the windows of Marinette's house. It was already June, and only in a few days, it had become significantly warmer. The streets of Paris were always full of people and cars and somehow, she could feel damp really quickly in this weather. Summer was coming and she wished school would be over already.

"But wait", Marinette thought out loud in her room, "If school was over, then I wouldn't be able to see Adrien nearly every day anymore until the next school year ! And that's only if we'll be in the same class. Okay. I want school to never stop."

Tikki was busy eating a macaron on Marinette's desk, but she stopped and giggled at her friend's gooffiness. Marinette always changed her mind when it came to Adrien and somehow she acted more like a stalker than a love-struck teenager. A wall of her room was full of Adrien's photos in magazines or advertisements. She saved videos of commercials featuring Adrien on her computer. The kyami thought all that was a bit much, but Marinette was her friend, and she knew she was kind-hearted.

Marinette _really_ had to be able to speak with her crush, but she was too shy.

"But Marinette", began Tikki once she gulped down the pastry, "you can't even speak to him. You need to be braver ! You can do it fine when you're Ladybug". Rather than mocking her, she always encouraged her.

Marinette let her body drop onto her chair while she sighed, "Ladybug's not the same. Well, I mean, she is _me_ and I am _her_... But she's a superhero. With all those powers, of course I feel confident."

Not to mention that Marinette couldn't speak perfectly to Adrien when she was Ladybug. She still stuttered a bit.

Tikki looked at her in disbelief, "you used to say that you were useless because you are too clumsy, Marinette."

"Well, I got used to these powers !", Marinette groaned at her kwami's teasing. "It feels like... I'm a different person when I'm Ladybug. Like I become a superhero too. Maybe that's because I'm more worried about akumas when I'm Ladybug."

Deep in thoughts as she tried to uncover that mystery like she had tried a thousand times before, her arm slipped from its place on her desk, and soon her body followed. Marinette's feet tried to stop her fall, but they tripped on one another and the teenager met the hard floor with a sigh and a cry of pain. Papers had fallen from the desk as well. All her plans for Father's Day... All on the floor. She had to sort them to separate good ideas from failures.

With her constant daydreaming, she had forgotten Father's Day. She barely had a week and a half to find the perfect gift. She figured her father wouldn't fully appreciate an article of clothing – though he enjoyed wearing multiple accessories she created over the years. A pastry would be... Too _normal._ Right, he liked to taste everything she cooked or baked. But it was normal for her too cook often ! Her parents were running a bakery, after all.

Tikki looked at the clock while Marinette tried to sort her papers. It was three p.m already ; Tikki squeaked and pointed the clock to Marinette.

"Marinette, don't you have a patrol ?"

The teenager snapped her head to look at Tikki. Her mouth opened to say nothing as she was shocked to see that the day had passed so quickly. She had to go on a patrol with Cat Noir at three and she was already late. On the other hand, she needed to think of a present for her father. She figured it was alright since she had a little more than a week left.

"Okay, Tikki", she said, "spots-"

The two friends suddenly heard a loud sound coming from the balcony. Worried that it might be an akuma, Marinette gasped and hurried over.

"What the hell..."

The first thing she noticed was Cat Noir's whip-tail gripping tightly the rail of the balcony. Cat Noir himself was nowhere to be seen, but Marinette could hear him groan. She gasped ; was Cat Noir going to fall from her balcony ? She hurried over the railing. The superhero was indeed there, trying not to fall. To be precise, his body was trying to get over the edge of the balcony his tail gripped.

He soon spotted Marinette and glanced in her direction, his eyes asking for help. The girl groaned.

"Okay, give me your tail, Cat."

"W...What ?", he asked in surprise, "my tail ?", to which Marinette replied with an exasperated sigh, "you're hanging to that balcony with your tail. Oh well. I'll help myself."

Marinette tried to gently take hold of his tail without causing him to fall. In a swift movement, she could pull well and hard enough to help him grab the edge of her balcony. Soon, he climbed to face Marinette. Thankful for her help, he bowed.

"I didn't mind helping you", Marinette giggled at his antics. "But what are you doing here ?"

Cat Noir chuckled, a bit embarrassed to have being caught outside when it was Ladybug's turn to patrol Paris. Even if Marinette couldn't know that. In fact, his life as Adrien was so busy, he wanted to have to be alone a bit. When he was Cat Noir, he could be himself and relax, on top of be able to see Ladybug. He could also be a superhero, save the day, and that was awesome in itself. He considered it was way more awesome to be a superhero than a perfect model who did everything his father asked him to.

"Nothing in particular. I went on a stroll and I kind of... crashed into your balcony", confessed Cat Noir.

Marinette was surprised ; she was so used to meet him regularly when fighting akumas that she didn't think he could transform... Just to do something as normal as taking a stroll. She tried to transform only when Ladybug was needed, but she guessed Cat Noir was different.

"By the way, Marinette...", he commented, looking at everything on her messy balcony, "there sure are a lot of things here. Aren't balconies made for relaxation ? You don't even have the space to sit here. It wasn't like that when I came last time."

Marinette groaned while she remembered her sad attempts at crafting something for her father. There wasn't enough space in her room, so she had figured she could use the balcony. However, she hadn't clean up, and the usually bright and flowery rooftop was gone. Instead, the wooden floor was almost completely covered in materials, there were bags full of tools on the chairs, and the flowers had been put in a corner.

"Ah, um...", Marinette stuttered, really embarrassed somehow, "I was trying to create a good gift for my dad – you know, for Father's Day, but I didn't really succeed."

"It seems you forgot to clean too", added Cat Noir. "A cat won't come here if it's so dirty, you know ?"

Marinette sighed, partly at Cat Noir's smirk, and mostly at his bad pun. He thought he was funny, but she honestly didn't have the courage to tell him that ; poor kitty, he would be frustrated.

She knew he wasn't wrong though and that she really had to clean the place. However, the amount of work was tremendous. How did she even manage to make such a mess ?

"I was kind of hoping that I would get a wonderful idea out of the blue", Marinette confessed. After all, maybe an idea would come and she would need the materials that were on the balcony. She wished a awesome idea would fall out from the sky and magically land on her hands. But such a thing was impossible. At least, if someone could throw some hints her way...

"Wait," she thought aloud, "someone... I have someone right there !"

"What's the matter, Princess ?" asked a very curious Cat Noir.

"I mean, I'm worried about what to get for Father's Day... But you're here now."

Cat Noir furrowed his brows. He was utterly lost and didn't completely understand what Marinette was saying. It seemed she was somehow in a hurry and thought by herself without mentioning anything to him. What did she want him to do ?

"I.. don't really get what you want me to do", he mumbled and shrugged. Marinette seemed to instantly snap and looked at him with wide eyes. She felt so stupid ! She had thought aloud for the past ten minutes with Cat Noir right in front of her. Of course he didn't understand anything she was talking about. She clapped her hands and calmed herself.

"Sorry", she nervously rubbed her neck. "I thought having someone with me might give me ideas for a great gift. And you're here right now, so... Two minds are better than one, right ?"

She watched silently as Cat Noir's expression darkened a bit and he lowered his eyes to stare at the ground. He thought about Father's Day. He didn't celebrate this day since his mother had disappeared ; his father was now so distant that they didn't have dinner together.

"Sorry. I don't think I can help you", he muttered. Marinette furrowed her brows in surprise and worry alike. She rarely saw him so sad and disappointed. Cat Noir was usually very bright and a bit too playful. His puns were constantly tiring her, but if she was honest, sometimes they weren't so bad. Furthermore, it was a part of Cat Noir's uniqueness and what made her so comfortable around him. When she met him, she already felt like they had always known each other.

She felt bad knowing something she said had made him depressed. She felt guilt embrace her and guided her to place a comforting hand on his shoulder while she smiled apologetically.

"Why ?", she inquired softly.

"I can't help you for things like Father's Day. My father and I... don't really get along anymore", he replied. He seemed a bit ashamed of that.

"In that case, maybe a gift can change everything", claimed Marinette, enthousiaslty, "I don't know anything about your family situation, but letting things get worse is not a good solution. Maybe a gift can change the relationship you have with your father. Maybe it'll open his eyes !"

Cat Noir could only stare in awe at Marinette's plan – or attempt at both cheering him up and offering him a solution to his problems. He thought she was as sweet and caring as she seemed at school. She didn't speak much with Adrien, and seemed really nervous around him. But when she wasn't fixated on him, she was caring about others. She tried to protect anyone in the class against Chloé's selfishness and power and always comforted someone who felt down, crafted the best gifts...

"Oh, I know ! Then, let's think about gifts for Father's Day together, Cat Noir", Marinette offered.

That certainly brought a smile to his face ; even if he didn't quite know about a gift for his father, he could at least spend the afternoon with Marinette, like friends would do. She was already a friend to him, as Adrien, but he didn't know if Marinette considered him like one.

With her, he would certainly create a gift that will be good enough to make his father spend more time with him.

"Sure, let's try !"

Marinette invited Cat Noir in her room – she didn't forget to take down her posters of Adrien beforehand. She let Cat Noir sit on her bed while she was at her desk. Though he was supposed to help, he could only stare at everything. She wondered about what he was thinking.

"What does your father like, Marinette ?", suddenly said Cat Noir while looking at her. Marinette let out a surprised huff ; he was thinking about helping, after all.

"Well, he's a baker, so of course he enjoys baking, and eating of course. He loves Mom, that's for sure. He always appreciates any article of clothing or accessory I make."

Cat Noir pretended to be deep in thought, but he was actually really envious of her. She had a loving family ; her parents spent time with her and accepted with joy every present she offered. He had seen them a couple times as Adrien, once when helping Marinette with her chinese uncle, and another time at school. They seemed proud of her, and Marinette was proud of them as well.

Cat Noir knew someone as caring as Marinette had the right to have such a family... But he felt strangely out of place.

However, spending time with her like this may change his own relationship with his father.

"I suppose you already made a present based on these characteristics ?", Cat Noir asked, to which Marinette nodded. "That's getting com-purry-cated, Princess", he added with a smirk.

Marinette sighed ; this was going to be very, _very_ long. She kind of liked that part of him, though. Even as Ladybug, it made her feel comfortable.

Suddenly, Cat Noir gasped, "you could spend time with him !". Marinette stared at his weirdly, realizing that he might have thought about helping her seriously.

"Do you think it would be enough ?" asked Marinette either way. It didn't seem like a gift, she could spend time with him any day.

Cat Noir beamed, " Of course ! You seem really close. Parents like that enjoy spending time with their children."

He began blabbering sweet clichés about relationships between parents and their children. Marinette remembered that her grandmother was akumatized because she was convinved that Marinette didn't want to be with her anymore ; and it wasn't just because they hadn't seen each other in a long time. Parents, grandparents, in short, _family_ naturally wanted to spend time with each other.

"Yeah, you're right", she realized, "I though their presence is a normal thing. But it has been a while since I last dedicated at least one day to them."

Especially since she started to be Ladybug, she added in her own head. She was either doing homework, making clothes, fantasizing about Adrien or going out with friends.

"Sheesh, you should pay more attention to your family", Cat Noir said with a serious face, "you're lucky to have such good parents..."

He muttered the last part, but Marinette heard everything ; she wondered why his relationship with his father seemed so complicated. She could only picture Cat Noir as a pleasant child because his personality was really charming.

Futhermore, Cat Noir wasn't his usual self right now. He was deep in thought, brows furrowed and eyes angry. She figured he was recalling unpleasant moments with his father. She was used to see him cheerful, and even if things got out of control, he always stayed confident they would find a solution. Was his relationship with his father so complicated that he even lost hope ?

She had learned that Cat Noir wasn't the flirty guy she thought he was ; in fact, he was a sensitive, brave, charming boy who meant everything he ever said. He thought of everyone's well-being, especially Ladybug's. He was her precious partner and he meant a lot to her. She couldn't leave him so miserable. She had to do something, anything. His attitude made her really worried ; she didn't like it one bit.

Without thinking, she got closer to him to gently pat his head. He looked at her quizzically, but only saw a reassuring smile. She gently stroked his fluffy blond hair, making sure she didn't scratch his cat ears. Feeling comfortable, he closed his eyes and let himself immerse in her warmth.

"It's okay", Marinette muttered to not surprise him, "it's true that my family is especially loving. But that doesn't mean that you deserve the same, Cat Noir."

He opened his eyes and stared at her, but didn't utter a word. He didn't know what to say, nor did he know why Marinette cared so much for him. She only spent a little time with him, two times. She wasn't supposed to know him so much, even if he was a superhero. To him, it seemed like they were incredibly close somehow.

"So, let's find a solution", she added with enthusiasm, "to make this stupid father of yours notice you."

He couldn't stop a smile from appearing on his face.

* * *

On the 17th of June, Adrien got up early, even before his alarm rang. He hastily took a shower and got dressed. Instead of his usual shirt, he wore a shirt his father designed for a photoshoot a long time ago, when his mother was still here. It was a colourful shirt, different from the dull clothes his father designed now.

He grabbed the small package from his desk. It was wrapped in beige paper with a red ribbon. On the card was the name of his father. He got ready to step through the door, but stopped in his tracks.

"Adrien", called Plagg from his pocket, "are you alright ?"

As a worried Plagg was a rare sight, Adrien chuckled, "It's all right, it's going to work. Marinette helped me through this. I can't fail now."

He stepped outside of his room and below the stairs. Luckily, Nathalie indicated to him that his father could go down at any second. Apparently, he needed to review some of his new designs next to the old ones, which were on the wall.

Adrien was excited and couldn't think about anything but his gift for his father. He hid it under his jacket ; eating his breakfast while waiting was hard to do. He didn't want to wait and wished his father could magically appear in the room.

"Good morning, Nathalie." Adrien heard a strict, deep voice he perfectly recognised. When his head looked at the room, he saw his father standing on the stairs.

Had his wish been granted ?

A wide smile of happiness appeared on his face, and Adrien couldn't hold it back. He stopped eating and didn't even wipe his mouth before hopping down the chair. He didn't let his father time to think as he hurried at his side.

"Father, I have something for you !", Adrien almost screamed from enthousiasm.

"Adrien, I don't have much time", Gabriel Agreste began, but his son interrupted him by putting a wrapped gift right in front of his face. Adrien kept pushing the package toward his father with confidence ; he wouldn't let him escape again. He had to be bold.

"Happy Father's Day !", Adrien finally laughed.

Gabriel Agreste was surprised, no, he was absolutely astonished. After refusing his son for so long, he didn't think he would get a present. In fact, he had completely forgotten it was Father's Day, and his gut told him that he couldn't refuse. Finally, he took the gift from his son's hands. Somehow, his son seemed the most important thing, and it hadn't really been since his wife disappeared.

The designer turned away and began to climb the stairs. He didn't see the disappointed look on Adrien's face which was beginning to become sadness and frustration.

"Come, Adrien", Gabriel almost ordered, "let's take a walk."

Adrien could only nod happily as he made a note to properly thank Marinette later, as Cat Noir. He didn't want to blow his cover after all. She truly was a wonderful girl.

* * *

 **A/N : Okay, it's finished ! I hope you liked it. I wanted to write a little about Adrien and Gabriel. It's not that Gabriel totally neglect him... He do cares for Adrien, like we've seen in _Goridzilla._**

 **[Emilyka]**


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